• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.41-48
• /
• 2018

This paper describes the systems engineering development process for the Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) algorithm using FPGA. Current Core Protection Calculator System (CPCS) requirement and DNBR logic are analyzed in the reverse engineering phase and the new FPGA based DNBR algorithm is designed in the re-engineering phase. FPGA based DNBR algorithm is developed by VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) in the implementation phase and VHDL DNBR software is verified in the software Verification & Validation phase. Test cases are developed to perform the software module test for VHDL software modules. The APR 1400 simulator is used to collect the inputs data in 100%, 75%, and 50% reactor power condition. Test input signals are injected to the software modules following test case tables and output signals are compared with the expected test value. Minimum DNBR value from developed DNBR algorithm is validated by KEPCO E&C CPCS development facility. This paper summarizes the process to develop the FPGA-based DNBR calculation algorithm using systems engineering approach.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.51 no.1
• /
• pp.13-30
• /
• 2019

This paper presents the recent improvements in the DeCART code for HTGR analysis. A new 190-group DeCART cross-section library based on ENDF/B-VII.0 was generated using the KAERI library processing system for HTGR. Two methods for the eigen-mode adjoint flux calculation were implemented. An azimuthal angle discretization method based on the Gaussian quadrature was implemented to reduce the error from the azimuthal angle discretization. A two-level parallelization using MPI and OpenMP was adopted for massive parallel computations. A quadratic depletion solver was implemented to reduce the error involved in the Gd depletion. A module to generate equivalent group constants was implemented for the nodal codes. The capabilities of the DeCART code were improved for geometry handling including an approximate treatment of a cylindrical outer boundary, an explicit border model, the R-G-B checker-board model, and a super-cell model for a hexagonal geometry. The newly improved and implemented functionalities were verified against various numerical benchmarks such as OECD/MHTGR-350 benchmark phase III problems, two-dimensional high temperature gas cooled reactor benchmark problems derived from the MHTGR-350 reference design, and numerical benchmark problems based on the compact nuclear power source experiment by comparing the DeCART solutions with the Monte-Carlo reference solutions obtained using the McCARD code.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.8
• /
• pp.3154-3165
• /
• 2022

During a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) in the pressurized water reactor (PWR), there is a possibility that high temperature and internal pressure of the fuel rods lead to ballooning of the cladding, which causes a partial blockage of flow area in a subchannel. Such flow blockage would influence the core coolant flow, thus affecting the core heat transfer during a reflooding phase and subsequent severe accident. However, most of the system analysis codes simulate the accident process based on the assumed channel blockage ratio, resulting in the fact that the simulation results are not consistent with the actual situation. This paper integrates the developed core Fuel Rod Thermal-Mechanical Behavior analysis (FRTMB) module into the self-developed severe accident analysis code ISAA. At the same time, the existing flow blockage model is improved to make it possible to simulate the change of flow distribution due to fuel rod deformation. Finally, the ISAA-FRTMB is used to simulate the QUENCH-LOCA-0 experiment to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the improved flow blockage model, and then the effect of clad ballooning on core heat transfer and subsequent parts of core degradation is analyzed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.12
• /
• pp.4518-4526
• /
• 2023

NECP-SARAX is a neutronics analysis code system for advanced reactor developed by Nuclear Engineering Computational Physics Laboratory of Xi'an Jiaotong University. In past few years, improvements have been implemented in TULIP code which is the cross-section generation module of NECP-SARAX, including the treatment of resonance interface, considering the self-shielding effect in non-resonance energy range, hyperfine group method and nuclear library with thermal scattering law. Previous studies show that NECP-SARAX has high performance in both fast and thermal spectrum system analysis. The accuracy of TULIP code in fast and thermal spectrum system analysis is demonstrated preliminarily. However, a systematic verification and validation is still necessary. In order to validate the applicability of TULIP code for full energy range, 147 fast spectrum critical experiment benchmarks and 170 thermal spectrum critical experiment benchmarks were selected from ICSBEP and used for analysis. The keff bias between TULIP code and reference value is less than 300 pcm for all fast spectrum benchmarks. And that bias keeps within 200 pcm for thermal spectrum benchmarks with neutron-moderating materials such as polyethylene, beryllium oxide, etc. The numerical results indicate that TULIP code has good performance for the analysis of fast and thermal spectrum system.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.5
• /
• pp.1562-1573
• /
• 2024

This study rigorously examined uncertainty in the TMI-1 benchmark within the Uncertainty Analysis in Modeling (UAM) benchmark suite using the STREAM/RAST-K two-step method. It presents two pivotal advancements in computational techniques: (1) Development of an uncertainty quantification (UQ) module and a specialized library for the pin-based pointwise energy slowing-down method (PSM), and (2) Application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for UQ. To evaluate the new computational framework, we conducted verification tests using SCALE 6.2.2. Results demonstrated that STREAM's performance closely matched SCALE 6.2.2, with a negligible uncertainty discrepancy of ±0.0078% in TMI-1 pin cell calculations. To assess the reliability of the PSM covariance library, we performed verification tests, comparing calculations with Calvik's two-term rational approximation (EQ 2-term) covariance library. These calculations included both pin-based and fuel assembly (FA-wise) computations, encompassing hot zero-power and hot full-power operational conditions. The uncertainties calculated using both the EQ 2-term and PSM resonance treatments were consistent, showing a deviation within ±0.054%. Additionally, the data compression process yielded compression ratios of 88.210% and 92.926% for on-the-fly and data-saving approaches, respectively, in TMI fuel assembly calculations. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive explanation of the PCA process used for UQ calculations and offers valuable insights into the robustness and reliability of newly developed computational methods, supported by rigorous verification tests.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.249-257
• /
• 2015

A fuel assembly consists of fuel rods composed of pellets (UO2) and a cladding tube (Zircaloy). The role of the fuel rods in the reactor is to generate heat by nuclear fission, as well as to retain fission products during operation. A simulation method using a computer program was used to evaluate the safety of the nuclear fuel rods. This computer program has been called the fuel performance code. In the analysis of a light water reactor fuel rod, the gap conductance, which depended on the distance between the pellets and cladding tube, mainly influenced the thermomechanical behavior of the fuel rod. In this work, a 3D gap element was proposed to simulate the thermo-mechanical behavior of the nuclear fuel rod, considering the gap conductance. To implement the proposed 3D gap element, a 3D thermo-mechanical module was also developed using FORTRAN90. The asymmetric characteristics of the nuclear fuel rod, such as the MPS (missing pellet surface) and eccentricity, were simulated to evaluate the proposed 3D gap element.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.30 no.9
• /
• pp.948-954
• /
• 2008

Membrane bioreactor(MBR) processes have been widely applied to wastewater treatment for last decades due to its excellent capability of solid-liquid separation. However, membrane fouling was considered as a limiting factor in wide application of the MBR process. Excess aeration into membrane surface is a common way to control membrane fouling in most MBR. However, the excessively supplied air is easily dissipated in the reactor, which results in consuming energy and thus, it should be modified for effective control of membrane fouling. In this study, cylindrical tube was introduced to MBR in order to use the supplied air effectively. Membrane fibers were immersed into the cylindrical tube. This makes the supplied air non-dissipated in the reactor so that membrane fouling could be controlled economically. Two different air supplying method was employed and compared each other; nozzle and porous diffuser which were located just beneath the membrane module. Transmembrane pressure(TMP) was monitored as a function of airflow rate, flux, and ratio of the tube area and cross-sectioned area of membrane fibers(A$_m$/A$_t$). Flow rate of air and liquid was regulated to obtain slug flow in the cylindrical tube. With the same flow of air supply, nozzle was more effective for controlling membrane fouling than porous diffuser. Accumulation of sludge was observed in the tube with the nozzle, if the air was not suppled sufficiently. Reduction of membrane fouling was dependent upon the ratio, A$_m$/A$_t$. For diffuser, membrane fouling was minimized when A$_m$/A$_t$ was 0.27, but 0.55 for nozzle.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.439-446
• /
• 2009

This study was performed to evaluate SND(simultaneous nitrification and denitrification)efficiency, nitrogen removal efficiency and filtration function of non-woven fabric by using submerging MBR packed with granular sulfur covered with non-woven fabric filter. Synthetic wastewater was used as influent wastewater. Concentration of $NH_4{^+}-N$ in influent was maintained about 40 mg/L and the experiment was performed in four phases according to the flow rate. Nitrogen loading rate divided four phases ranging from $0.04 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$ to $0.16 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$. As a result, the maximum $NH_4{^+}-N$ removal rate was accomplished at $0.142 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$ in nitrogen loading of $0.147 kg\;NH_4{^+}-N/m^3-day$. Nitrification efficiency was higher than 95% in all phases. $NO_3{^-}-N$ loading rate was adjusted ranging from $0.22 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$ to $0.89 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. The maximum $NO_3{^-}-N$ removal rate was accomplished up to $0.71 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$ in $NO_3{^-}-N$ loading of $0.89 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. The maximum $NO_3{^-}-N$ removal efficiency was 95% in $NO_3{^-}-N$ loading of $0.22 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. T-N removal rate was 90% and concentration of T-N in effluent was 3.7 mg/L in T-N loading rate of $0.039 kg\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3-day$. In this study, TMP in reactor with and without non-woven fabric filter were observed to define fouling of hollow-fiber membrane module. Reaching time to standard washing pressure(22 cm Hg) of two reactors were 29 days with non-woven fabric But the reactor without non-woven fabric reached standard washing pressure only after 4 days. Accordingly, non-woven fabric was demonstrated the superiority as a filtration ability. With high nitrogen removal rate and decreasing of fouling of membrane, MBR packed with granular sulfur covered with non-woven fabric filter submerging in activated sludge aeration tank can be used as an advanced treatment process.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.127-134
• /
• 2010

This study is conducted about the system that reduces organism after fermenting food waste from a food waste disposal equipment, divides gas made when food waste is fermented into gas and water, and then sends gas to a reactor again, condenses water, and apply it to the MBR system with submerged MF hollow fiber membranes. A submerged MF hollow fiber membrane module was installed to a food waste disposal equipment and a water treatment system made by Bio Hitech Co,. Ltd. to process food waste generated from a staff cafeteria in a H institute for 90 days. For initial seeding of a food waste disposal equipment, 305 kg of rice bran, chaff, and sawdust as well as 1,648 kg of food were input during the operation, and 1,600 L of condensed wastewater occurred. Fermented by-product after finishing running a food waste disposal equipment was 386 kg and its reduction was shown to be 80%. The organism was processed by applying submerged MF hollow fiber membrane module to the MBR system of condensed wastewater, and the result shows reduction rates were BOD 99.9%, COD 97.5%, SS 98.6%, T-N 54.6% and T-P 34.7% and the total colon bacillus was perfectly eliminated.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.81-86
• /
• 2003

For the simultaneous removal of $SO_2$/NOx from an iron-ore sintering plant, industrial plasma experiments have been conducted with a flue gas flow rate of $5,000Nm^3/hr$. The maximum 40kW power using the magnetic pulse compression (MPC) system generates a peak value of 100-150kV pulse voltage with its risetime of 200nsec and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 500nsec, and with a frequency <300Hz. The plasma reactor module adopts a wire-plate structure with a gap of 200-400mm ID between plates. Initial concentrations of $SO_2$ and NOx were around 100-150ppm, respectively in the presence of 15% $O_2$ and <10% $H_2O$. Various reaction parameters such as specific energy ($Whr/Nm^3$), $NH_3$ injection with corona discharge, flow rate and injection of hydrocarbons were investigated for $SO_2$/NOx removal characteristics. About 90/65% of $SO_2$/NOx were simultaneously removed with a specific energy of $3.0Whr/Nm^3$ when both $NH_3$ and hydrocarbons were injected. Practical implications that the pilot-scale plasma results provide are further discussed.